‘Part of His Job is….’: After Giving Smack Talk Lessons, Phil Mickelson Once Got a Taste of His Own Medicine From a Young Fan

Phil Mickelson has genuine compassion for children, which has been visible on multiple occasions. Be it splashing hundreds of dollars as change for children’s juice stalls or giving out his golf apparel to make a young one’s day, Mickelson shares a special bond with kids. Along the same lines, the 52-year-old once invited a young kid to experience caddying for him at a major event on the PGA Tour, teaching him valuable lessons of the course.

Phil Mickelson takes young Riley on a whirlwind experience

The origins of the incident were laid back in 2017 when Mickelson was seen asking a young boy’s opinion on a particular shot. ‘Lefty’ asked the kid whether he should aim for the hole out of the rough or lay up for a better position. “If I could hit my 3-wood 260 (yards), I would probably go for it,” answered young Riley, which elicited a chorus of laughter.

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Mickelson took the advice, eventually scoring a par to finish T6 at the event. He was left impressed with the piece of advice, telling young Riley that he could caddy for him anytime.

A year later, Riley did Mickelson a favor by agreeing to become his caddy at the 2018 Dell Technologies Championship Pro-Am event. He carried the bags for the seasoned golfer, while also performing other necessary tasks done by a regular caddy.

Mickelson wants Riley to “talk smack”

The 6-time Major Championship winner also taught some essential tasks to the young kid which would see them gain an advantage. Part of it was on how to “talk smack” and get into other golfer’s heads.

“You got to talk smack, you got to say, ‘You sure you hit driver?’ You know, something like that,” Phil said, to which Riley nodded in agreement. “Like it doesn’t seem a big walk. Those subtle comments.”

Mickelson also taught Riley the importance of keeping the golfer hydrated. “Part of the job is to keep me hydrated,” the golfer said, to which the boy had a complaint. “Part of his job is keeping me hydrated, but he doesn’t do that too well,” he said, which left the golfer grinning.

In a kind gesture, Mickelson gave out another memorabilia, this time a signed glove, for young Riley. He also asked the latter to stay close by during the event, in which Mickelson finished at a decent 12th position.

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